50 Weather Terms in Plain English (In Alphabetical Order)

Ever wonder what meteorologists really mean when they toss around terms like "barometric pressure" or "wind velocity"? Weather words often sound more complicated than they really are. Let's break these terms down into plain language that everyone can understand.

1.      Acid rain: Rainwater that has become contaminated by acids, mainly because of impurities in the air. It can destroy infrastructure, animals, and plants.

2.      Altitude: The measure of how high a place or object is above sea level. It decreases in terms of air pressure and lowers with an increase in altitude.

3.      Atmospheric pressure: The force exerted on a given surface area by the weight of the Earth's atmosphere. It is measured using a barometer.